Ad paints insurers as allies of reform

For the first time since Harry and Louise helped sink health care reform in 1994, the insurance industry is back on the airwaves Monday with a seven-figure, national cable television ad campaign.

The soft, feel-good commercial is unlikely to have the same resonance as the industry’s Harry and Louise spots, where a fictional couple’s kitchen-table gripes about a government-run health system helped doom reform 15 years ago. And that, it seems, is by design.

Story Continued Below

The 30-second spot pushes for bipartisan reform that includes providing affordable coverage for all that doesn't deny insurance to those with pre-existing health conditions. Industry insiders view covering pre-existing conditions as a significant, but needed, concession that, combined with a requirement that individuals own insurance, will ensure that everyone gets affordable coverage.

"Illness doesn't care where you live or if you're already sick or if you lose your job. Your health insurance shouldn't either. So let's fix health care. If everyone's covered, we can make health care as affordable as possible. And the words 'pre-existing condition' become a thing of the past," the ad says.

Perhaps more illuminating is what the ads don't do. They don't slam the idea of creating a government-run insurance plan, a proposal the industry vehemently opposes. They don't go negative. And they don't threaten to undermine reform.

But make no mistake, the ads are sending a strong don't-tread-on-us message. The ad launch isn't so much a shot-across the bow of reform as a Soviet-era military parade designed to showcase the industry's arsenal.

"There's one thing that this industry knows how to do and that's to engage, mobilize and lobby," said an insurance industry lobbyist. "This is an industry that has the capacity to send messages from positive to negative and has no problem doing it."

The insurers' television ad, which could also run in targeted markets, will be supported by a complementary print campaign that is also set to launch this week. The industry intends to tap into its national network of 500,000 employees to help spread the message.

The industry enters the ad game as the airwaves have become increasingly crowded with competing messages. Just last week, two liberal groups announced an $800,000, five-day ad campaign that takes a shot at the insurance industry's profits and urges lawmakers to support a public plan. The ad will air in the districts of at least 10 moderate Democratic lawmakers.